A bipartisan deal in the House Veterans Affairs Committee may pave the way to the “Forever GI Bill,” in what’s being billed as the most sweeping change in nearly a decade to one of the bedrock benefits of military service.

It’s an idea that gained momentum with veterans groups this spring.

The deal, announced Thursday, is attracting attention in a contentious congressional year because it appears to have strong backing from the House and Senate and both sides of the aisle.

American Legion National Commander Charles E. Schmidt said the changes would usher in a new era for America’s veterans and create a GI Bill that lives up to the original version enjoyed by the World War II generation.

“We believe that all veterans who have honorably served this nation have earned education assistance as partial compensation for the sacrifices they have made,” Schmidt said. “Unfortunately, many who have served in uniform are currently left behind.”

The new legislation, HR 3218, is named in honor of the American Legion’s former national commander Harry Colmery, the main framer of the original G.I. Bill of Rights in 1944.

Here are five things to know about the proposed “Forever” GI Bill:

1. It would end the 15-year time limit on using GI Bill education benefits.

In other words, if a veteran isn’t ready to go to college right after discharge, this change would protect the benefit until he or she is ready.

“Years from now, veterans who were unable to attend institutions of higher learning during their military service or immediately afterward will be able to earn degrees and begin rewarding careers that can lead our economy,” the Legion’s Schmidt said.

In a proposed pilot program, veterans would get extra money if they choose science, technology and engineering fields.

2. All Purple Heart recipients would become eligible for full GI Bill benefits.

The Purple Heart is awarded to those wounded by the enemy.

As it stands, Purple Heart recipients don’t get the full GI Bill unless they’ve served for at least three years.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 20 percent of Purple Heart holders aren’t getting the full benefit because of shortened length of service. This proposal would affect about 600 veterans a year.

Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, had a role in shaping the proposed policy.

Peters was an original co-sponsor of the new bill, which includes language he tried to pass in a prior bill focused on Purple Heart recipients.

“We are going to help thousands of Purple Heart recipients pursue a college degree or technical training so they can land a good job and make the peaceful, prosperous transition to civilian life they deserve,” Peters said Thursday.

“At our time of greatest need, these brave service members fought and bled for us. They have earned these benefits.”

3. It would restore GI Bill benefits if a college shuts down in the middle of a semester.

This appears to be a reaction to a rash of closings by for-profit schools, including the 136-campus ITT Technical Institute in September 2016. ITT Tech was a trade school that marketed heavily to troops.

Students with federal loans who were attending these schools have the opportunity to get those loans discharged. But veterans who were using their GI Bill had no recourse.

4. It extends GI Bill benefits to several groups not currently covered.

They include more than 25,000 National Guardsmen and reservists who are activated without accruing the same full benefit as their active-duty counterparts.

Also, survivors of service members who are killed-in-action hae been denied eligibility for the Yellow Ribbon Program, which covers the extra cost of attending a private institution.

Finally, the GI Bill can be transferred to a dependent child, but if that child dies, another survivor hasn’t been able to take over the benefit.

“This beefed-up Post-9/11 GI Bill recognizes the long service and sacrifice of the 1 percent of Americans who have voluntarily put their personal lives on hold to fight an unimaginable multifront war for 16-plus years,” said Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander Brian Duffy.

5. The increase in benefits would be paid for by reducing the GI Bill living stipend to match what’s received by an active-duty service member.

That proposal called for taking $100 a month out of new troops’ paychecks for two years, for a total of $2,400, as an enrollment fee for the GI Bill.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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CAPTION

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